An 1861 letter written by Booth to a friend boasting about his career and value as an actor sold for $30,000.

"The public was so disgusted by Booth's atrocity that most all letters, signatures and documents mentioning him were destroyed after Lincoln's death, making any that survive 150 years later exceedingly rare and valuable," said Don Ackerman, Consignment Director for Historical Americana at Heritage Auctions. "The Dow Collection gave us a unique perspective of the assassination and I doubt we'll ever see a grouping like this outside of a museum setting."

A piece of linen from Lincoln's death bed and stained with his blood sold for $6,000 while an 1864 letter signed by Lincoln authorizing a prisoner swap involving Confederal Gen. Robert E. Lee's son from a Union POW camp sold for $27,500.